


Steven Meeks, Local Heartthrob

by evol_love



Category: Dead Poets Society (1989)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Fluff, Multi, Nonbinary Character, Todd is my trans son, Trans, Trans Male Character, and nonbinary charlie is a given for me at this point
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-25
Updated: 2015-12-25
Packaged: 2018-05-09 05:04:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,808
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5526467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/evol_love/pseuds/evol_love
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Everyone at Welton High School is in love with Steven Meeks. Including Charlie Dalton, but they're trying to be pretty casual about it. (Is it working?)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Steven Meeks, Local Heartthrob

**Author's Note:**

  * For [VioletSargent](https://archiveofourown.org/users/VioletSargent/gifts).



> I've literally had the idea for this fic since 2014 so I'm excited to finally have this done! And I'm so excited to give this as my dps secret santa gift for tumblr user Tessa ashwinder! We have the same taste in fic and tropes it seems, so I've tried to give you what you asked for: charlie/steven, trans characters, and a high school au. Happy holidays and I hope you enjoy it!

Charlie groans when they round the corner, and they consider turning around and walking right back down the hall they just came from, even though their class is in the opposite direction. Steven is coming down the hall towards them, surrounded as usual by a gaggle of doting admirers. Charlie is a lot of things, but they aren’t someone who enjoys watching the object of their affections getting hit on over and over again by people far better than them. 

This is the thing: Charlie is ridiculously in love with Steven Meeks. But _everyone_ is ridiculously in love with Steven Meeks. It's seriously some weird sorcery shit. Charlie has wondered more than a few times if there's any possible way love potions could be involved here, if that's even a thing that the invisible hand of the free market has demanded. Even the teachers are all overly fond of him. Legend has it that once, Steven was called down to Mr. Nolan's office and the man gave him a medal and called him, "a fine, upstanding young man." 

But to tell the truth, Charlie knows it isn't any kind of magic or coercion. It's just that Steven is amazing. It's not like they can exactly make fun of all the people vying for his attention; they’re too big a loser to even try.

Steven smiles at them as he walks by, because of course he does, he's a walking daydream. 

Charlie looks away as quickly as possible and hurries towards their next class, determined to just try to erase the past ten seconds from their memory, because replaying how fucking cute Steven is and what a fucking loser they are will just depress them further. 

It’s not that they ever thought they had a chance with Steven, because by now they know better than to ever hope for anything like that. They’re not that lucky. But it’s still disheartening to know that not only could Steven do much better than them, much better is happily, readily available. Steven _should_ be dating Gerard, who would actually take care of him and treat him like the incredible human being he deserves to be treated as, or maybe Chris, who’s sweet and beautiful and could frankly do better than Knox if she wanted to. (He should absolutely _not_ under any circumstances ever date Neil because Charlie is pretty sure they would actually die if that ever happened, and anyway, Neil isn’t even a hot mess, he’s just a mess.)

But Steven isn’t dating any of them. He isn’t dating _anyone_. Instead, he’s damnably single and gorgeous and brilliant and Charlie could fucking cry. 

They had denied to themself that they had feelings for Steven for two weeks. Two long weeks before they finally cracked and admitted that after all their refusal to be one of the herd, they were just like everyone else, with a horrible gut-wrenching crush on a boy that smiles politely at them and then moves on to the other people that adore him. 

Okay, that’s not exactly accurate. Charlie is pretty sure they’re friends. Steven was there when Charlie’s second stepmom walked out on the family, and the third. Steven helped them pass Latin last year. Hell, Steven was the first person Charlie told they were nonbinary, during sophomore year, refusing to look him in the eye. Steven, being the beautiful and magical human being he is, had just said “okay” and asked what pronouns Charlie wanted to use now and if Charlie hadn’t already been in love, they would have fallen hard after that. 

Anyway. Charlie has spent enough years watching complete strangers and their best friends and everyone in between flirting with Steven, and they’ve observed that a) it doesn't get those people anywhere and b) they all look ridiculous. So, rather than making a total ass of themself and throwing themself at Steven like the lovesick fool they are, they just watch and want and occasionally actually talk to Steven. It’s pathetic, and they know it’s pathetic, but it’s not like there’s anything they can do, because Steven doesn’t want Charlie back, and that’s the end of it. 

The only good thing to come of it all is that Charlie’s gotten really good at unrequited love. Since they’re often on the outskirts of people who are fawning over Steven, people often ask Charlie about Steven, and they’ve managed to make their responses sound noncommittal and like they totally do not want to run away into the sunset with Steven Meeks and kiss his cute freckles forever and ever amen. For example, today at lunch they’d sat at the same table as Steven (it’s really no big deal, really):

“Isn’t Steven Meeks so perfect,” a guy had sighed near them, leaning his cheek against his hand and gazing at Steven like his life depended on it. 

“Eh, he’s alright,” Charlie had replied. _Nailed it._

Or that time when a gaggle of freshman girls had been walking to class and gushing about how cute the president of the Latin club was and Charlie’d said loudly, to no one in particular, “Steven Meeks is entirely overrated.”

The girls had literally stopped in their tracks and one raised her eyebrow and asked scornfully, “Have you ever even spoken to him?”

“‘Course I have,” Charlie had replied. “How else would I know that you should just quit while you’re ahead? He doesn’t date anyone.”

The girl’s expression turned sympathetic, and Charlie got a sickening feeling that maybe they’d said too much after all. 

Point is, Charlie’s totally got this ridiculously-in-love-with-someone-out-of-their-league thing under control, so it’s no big deal that they got invited to Steven’s “winter holiday gathering” this weekend. They’re going to go and they’re going to have a good time with their friends and they are not going to make a fool of themself in front of their crush because they are a fucking adult. Yeah.  
\-----------------------------------------------  
The party is actually pretty fun, to Charlie’s relief. Gerard is DJ-ing which is always a good sign, and there is plenty of alcohol, which means Charlie can deal with their problems the way they’d hoped to: with plenty of vodka. There’s no mistletoe in sight either, which Charlie is grateful for, because that’s a just a little too romcom trope-y for them, thank you very much. Besides, it’s not like their friends need mistletoe to end up all over each other anyway: Chris and Knox are making out in the kitchen and Ginny’s in Gerard’s lap. Anyway, the usual flirting with Steven has been happening too, although less so, since Steven’s only invited people he actually knows and not his many hordes of admirers. In some ways, Charlie’s pleased they made the list, but on the other hand, it only proves that they can’t go after Steven, since they’d obviously be fucking up the comfortable friendship they have now. 

They end up drinking in a corner while Todd sits with them and sips periodically from a red solo cup Knox had fixed him (Neil keeps glancing at the pair of them nervously, which Charlie finds absolutely fucking hilarious). Charlie actually loves Todd a lot. A week after they’d come out to their friends and asked them to use they/them/their pronouns when referring to them, Todd had called Charlie in the middle of the night whispering rapidly that he was pretty sure he was actually a boy and not a girl, and Charlie had talked to him about it for awhile and helped as much as they could getting Todd resources for buying binders and having someone who understood him better talk to him until Todd felt comfortable enough to tell the others he was trans. Charlie still feels a bit like a proud parent sometimes when they look at Todd, who is still so shy but who has come so far in terms of loving himself. They tell Todd as much, and Todd smiles as Charlie pats him on the head happily. 

“You’re drunk,” Todd laughs. 

“No you,” Charlie replies, which is their standard petulant response to anyone who accuses them of being drunk. 

Todd just laughs again and takes another sip, grimacing a bit at the taste. 

“Classic Todd, worrying about the taste of an alcoholic beverage,” Charlie says. “Enjoying it isn’t the point.” Todd frowns a little, so Charlie kisses him on the cheek. “No, it’s cute, shh, don’t be sad.” They look up and see Neil once again casting a pained look at them. It figures that Neil would be worried about his new boyfriend getting cuddly with the old model; Charlie might slip and tell Todd he deserves better. 

(For the record, Charlie actually thinks they’re really good together and that Todd and Neil both light up now like they haven’t seen either of them do before, so. Take that, Neil. Who’s the bigger person now?)

“I’m gonna go, I think Neil’s looking for you,” Charlie tells Todd, starting to get up. They stumble a little, almost falling back down, but they catch themself. 

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Todd asks. 

“Peachy,” Charlie replies, smiling at him and patting him on the cheek again. 

Todd just rolls his eyes, but he’s smiling, and he gets up too to go find Neil. 

Charlie doesn’t know why they decide to go out onto the back porch, but they do. It’s disarmingly quiet after being inside with everyone for so long, and so dark it feels like a different planet. 

They haven’t really thought too much about Steven tonight, which is a bit of an improvement but also means that when it finally does hit them, it’s that much worse.

They’re at Steven’s _house_ tonight. Steven _invited_ them. And god, Charlie needs to ask Steven to stop being so nice to them because it’s killing them, and getting their hopes up for nothing. Lighting a cigarette, Charlie leans against the side of the house and thinks. Maybe they should just tell Steven, get it over with. Maybe Steven rejecting them will finally be what they need to get over him, since all the years of literally everyone at Welton High School flirting with him hasn’t managed to deter them yet. 

The door opens and someone steps outside. And of course it’s Steven. Of course it fucking is, Charlie could fucking cry because of course Steven steps out of his house looking lost in thought and frazzled and absolutely gorgeous. They take another drag, and Steven notices them standing there. 

“Hey,” he says, breath visible in the chilly air. 

“Want one?” Charlie says in response, holding out their cigarette. 

“You know I don’t.” They’re both quiet. It’s a bit cliche and breathtaking and all that. 

“What’s wrong?” Charlie asks finally, putting their cigarette out and stomping it into the ground, kicking a little dirt over it so as to preserve nature or not piss off Steven’s parents or whatever. 

“Why would anything be wrong?”

“What’s wrong, Steven?”

“Nothing. I’m just indulging in a little self-pity.”

“Self-pity?”

Steven sighs. “It’s silly. It’s just...” he glances at Charlie then quickly looks back down at his feet, blushing. Charlie’s heart hurts. “I’m just feeling sorry for myself because I had to go and develop a crush on the one person who I _know_ doesn’t like me back.”

Charlie frowns. “Wait, there’s someone out there that _isn’t_ in love with you?”

Steven stares at them oddly. “Yeah...” he says slowly. “You.”

Charlie can’t help it: their mouth actually falls open in disbelief. They can’t even coherently string a sentence together at the moment because they’re so caught up in the idea that Steven thinks he’s been living in a world where Charlie doesn’t have the biggest crush ever on him. It’s so foreign to Charlie that they literally can’t even think. 

“I know it’s stupid, but I used to wonder why you’d never flirt with me. I sound like a total asshole right now, but...well, you flirt with everyone.”

“And everyone flirts with you,” Charlie finishes.

“Yeah.”

Charlie shrugs. “I guess it just seemed pointless. I mean, _everyone_ wants you. Why bother?”

“Right.” And Steven sounds _sad_ and Charlie’s pretty sure that’s their own fault, what the fuck. 

“I didn’t mean it was pointless because you’re not worth it,” Charlie says slowly, and they aren’t entirely sober, but they’re aware enough that they know they need to say something right now. “I just meant that you have so many people interested in you that I couldn’t imagine you’d want another person added to that bunch, much less me.”

Steven finally looks at Charlie, raising an eyebrow. “And you didn’t think to ask me what I wanted?”

Charlie shrugs. “I never said I was smart about you.”

Steven bites his lip. “I really want to kiss you but you’re drunk so I’m not going to do that.”

Charlie nods. “Yeah, you’re probably right.” Their brain is starting to catch up with all that’s been said in the past five minutes. “Wait a second, you have a crush on me?” 

Steven bursts out laughing before he nods. “Yeah, yeah I do. Pathetic, right?” 

“Totally dumb,” Charlie agrees, running their fingers through Steven’s curls. “But I like you too, so, not completely ridiculous.” 

Steven’s just looking at them, and he looks happy. And Charlie’s pretty sure that’s their own fault too. 

“I’m drunk,” Charlie admits. “But when I sober up, do you want to maybe go on a date or something?”

“I’ll buy you hangover breakfast?” Steven offers. Charlie scoffs. 

“Please, have some faith, I haven’t had a hangover since I was 16.”

“So that’s a no?”

“No, you’re buying me breakfast, don’t think you can get out of that one Meeks.”

“Okay.”

“Okay.” 

Steven’s smiling at them, and even though it’s cold outside, Charlie’s warm. 

“I’m gonna go back inside, okay? You should come in too, it’s freezing.”

“What will we tell your adoring fans, Steven?” Charlie asks. It’s a serious question.

“What do you mean?” 

“Oh come on, you totally know the entire student body’s in love with you.”

“I feel like you’re exaggerating just a bit. But also I don’t think I really give a fuck what they think. You?”

“Not at all.” 

“Come inside.” Steven offers his hand.

Charlie takes it and let’s themself be pulled back into the house, where the warmth suddenly feels cozy rather than stifling and the buzz of people isn’t annoying, it’s home. 

“I love you,” Charlie says honestly, and they might be drunk but they would happily repeat that sentence sober. 

“Tomorrow,” Steven answers, but Charlie knows exactly what he means.  
\-------------------------------------------------------  
Charlie wakes up the next morning on a sofa in Steven's living room. And for the record, their streak of not having a hangover is still perfectly intact.

They still let Steven take them out to breakfast though. They'd have to be absolutely dead before they turned an offer like that down. 

Somewhere in between the time it takes them to order and for their food to arrive, Gerard texts them both in all-caps demanding details when they're done, quote, "honeymooning." Steven is still typing his reply when Charlie sends theirs: nothing but the sunglasses emoji. 

"So," Steven says when he puts his phone away. "We're doing this."

"Well I sure hope so. And if you say no I hope you know you're still paying."

Steven laughs. "Just making sure you aren't having second thoughts."

"Hmm, pretty sure I've wanted to date you since we were like fifteen, so pretty sure I'm gonna stick around."

"Good."

Their food arrives, and Steven makes fun of the way Charlie drowns their pancakes in syrup, so Charlie steals a strip of bacon from Steven's plate in retaliation when he's not looking. 

"For what it's worth, I've wanted to date you for about that long too."

"I believe you, it's just so hard to believe. What took us so long?"

Steven shrugs, taking a bite of his eggs. "I guess it doesn't really matter now, hmm?"

Charlie's just smiling at him. "I can't believe you have a crush on me, that's so embarrassing. I mean, I have no reason to be embarrassed, I have a total trophy boyfriend now, but you? Yikes babe."

Steven rolls his eyes. "You're exaggerating again."

"I'm really not." They take a sip of their orange juice. "Just for the record, though, I liked you when you were still in nerdy obscurity." Charlie can actually see Steven's relief at that. 

"Ha. Who's embarrassing now?"

They finish up breakfast and then maybe make out kind of a lot in Steven's car before heading back to Steven's. Charlie spends the day hanging out with Steven's parents and running errands with the boy who is inexplicably their new boyfriend. And it's so easy it almost feels like nothing has changed at all, and yet it's entirely perfect.


End file.
